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7. Drake "Marvin's Room"

Asking Drake if it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all would be a moot question. This twilight-tinged theater dropped onto us out of the blue this past Spring, finds OVO's captain channeling sober thoughts through drunken words as he places a late-night phone call to an old flame. Even more remarkable than the song's extreme emotional nakedness is its meticulous sonic construction. Over an open but weighty beat by 40, Drake hides his brashness within a sing-song plea—"Fuck that nigga that you love so bad"—before seemingly coming to his senses for a few bars, aiming his laser-like focus inward for a little self-analysis. But the fact that he can pinpoint exactly why he wants the girl who has obviously moved on doesn't stop her from calling her anyway. Though it fell right in Drake's creative wheelhouse, the song sounded fresh and new. "Marvin's Room" proved to be a sign of things to come. The same structure would be used elsewhere on Take Care, where you'll find that in Houstatlantavegas, loving and losing is all a part of the game.